For his latest show, “The Trouble with Angels” coming up on February 14 at Dorothy Circus Gallery in Rome, Ray Caesar takes viewers into an icy queendom where a sense of foreboding belies the pristine beauty of his characters and their surroundings. Caesar works digitally to create a haunting world inspired by the Rococo period, specifically the time before the French Revolution. The title of Caesar’s latest show speaks to the duality he sees in the worlds he creates as well as within himself — it is an allusion to the struggle between good and evil. “Making art is a way for me to get in touch with that inner angelic guide that instinctively knows what is right and not right for me, even when I disagree,” said Caesar. “Sometimes that path is hard and challenging so that inner angel can also be a bit of a troublemaking demon.” The February 14 opening of “The Trouble with Angels” will be followed by a retrospective of Caesar’s work opening on the 15th at the Palazzo Saluzzo Paesana in Turin.

Image courtesy of Ray Caesar/Gallery House

Image courtesy of Ray Caesar/Gallery House

Image courtesy of Ray Caesar/Gallery House
Image courtesy of Ray Caesar/Gallery House

Image courtesy of Ray Caesar/Gallery House

Image courtesy of Ray Caesar/Gallery House

Image courtesy of Ray Caesar/Gallery House
Image courtesy of Ray Caesar/Gallery House